Remember, Be Kind to Yourself Today.
Talk to yourself like everyone is listening... and show yourself some grace. You deserve it.
You wouldn’t say that to anyone else.
Sometimes I catch myself saying things I’d never say out loud.
Not to a friend.
Not even to someone I didn’t like.
But somehow it’s fine if I say it to myself.
“You’re falling behind.”
“No one cares.”
“Of course you messed that up.”
It doesn’t even feel mean.
Just automatic.
Like background noise I stopped noticing.
It’s weird how hard that is.
I think we all do this.
And I don’t know when it started,
but I know it’s exhausting.
Because even if I’m doing okay on the outside, that voice inside is running commentary. And it’s not cheering me on.
Lately I’ve been trying to talk back.
Not with fake positivity.
Not with sticky notes or mirror quotes. Just… being a little less of a dick to myself.
Stuff like:
“You’re tired, not lazy.”
“It’s fine to take longer.”
“You don’t have to be perfect at this.”
It’s weird how hard that is.
But it helps.
The stuff we say in our head sticks.
We spend so much time thinking about how we come off to other people…
What we post, how we sound, or what's “on brand” tends to overtake the truth.
But the words we whisper when no one else is around? That’s what actually shapes us.
So maybe the point isn’t to be louder.
It’s just to be kinder.
Even if nobody hears it but you.
That inner voice can be so insidious, left unchecked. Isn't it strange how hard it can be for us just to take ownership of the conversation?